A little personal privacy please?

These thoughts of mine might change when I'm actually a parent with children of my own. As for the time being though, they are what they are.

I think there should be some degree of privacy that exists between parents and their children (children from here on out refers to 14+). I think once you've raised your child properly, in an open household, without keeping secrets from them yourself, things should be okay to allow them a little bit of privacy in their lives if they want it. Of course no one is going to follow this and checks WILL be made, as discreetly as possible if need be, as to whether they are getting up to stuff that goes against your moral teachings. Please don't let them catch you in the act of checking up on them. It can really, really kill relations and any potential for better relations. It also stays with the child unless properly dealt with (which, let's face it, probably won't happen in today's and tomorrow's societies). If you keep secrets from your child don't expect them to be all fine and dandy with divulging everything to you. Especially when they can pretty accurately assume where you stand on certain things that they're doing. Perhaps they'd LIKE to talk to you about their thoughts on them using protection during sex but they know you'll probably just break down and cry if you found out they weren't your little angelic virgin anymore and totally overlook the fact that you're being safe and responsible.
or perhaps they'd like to tell you about that party when they got drunk and started chewing on people's clothes (I'd say this never happened to me, but then you'd think that the rest of the story has.. which I'm neither admitting to nor refuting) but know that you don't even think they like alcohol.

So I guess it actually depends on how you run your house. One secret kept by you and sniffed at by your child can become the groundwork for a closed-off child with secrets of their own. I am in no way advocating this. I am saying that if the child would like, and even if they are cool with being open, they should be given some privacy, if just a little. If the child WOULD like some privacy, I'd suggest trying to talk to them about the things you worry for them getting into.. drugs, sex, alcoholism, gangs, scientology, whatever.. and see where they stand. Yes they could be lying to you but you should not be naive enough to accept 'oh goosh mommy no! I doh do that! *averts eyes and quickly changes topic*' as a proper answer. And please don't nag at them, this will not end in any way that you hope it will. Unless you're hoping it will end badly. In which case you're unfit to parent anything and should be shot.

Sorry if this is all jumbled thoughts, I just woke up and I need to go back to sleep but had to get this out.